Immersive Virtual Reality Field Trips Facilitate Learning About Climate Change.

ABSTRACT: Across four studies, two controlled lab experiments and two field studies, we tested the efficacy of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) as an education medium for teaching the consequences of climate change, particularly ocean acidification. Over 270 participants from four different learning settings experienced an immersive underwater world designed to show the process and effects of rising sea water acidity. In all of our investigations, after experiencing immersive VR people demonstrated knowledge gains or inquisitiveness about climate science and in some cases, displayed more positive attitudes toward the environment after comparing pre- and post-test assessments. The analyses also revealed a potential post-hoc mechanism for the learning effects, as the more that people explored the

SUBMITTER: Markowitz DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6284182 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature